Leslie Nielsen to a co-passenger in the cult classic 'Airplane'-"Can you fly a plane?" Co-passenger: "Surely you can't be serious!" Leslie Nielsen as deadpan as can be: "I am serious and don't call me Shirley."The Naked Gun series, Dracula Dead and Loving It, Hot shots, Airplane and a delightful cameo in the last Scary movie. That is not a resume. That is a legacy. The legacy of a genius.Leslie Nielsen was one of the funniest lead actors to ever grace the screen. And he owned the genre of spoof medleys like no man. Even in films like Hot Shots or Scary Movie 3 where he was not the main character he owned the screen the moment he came on to it. If you have seen Hot Shots part deux, you will definitely remember that iconic sequence where Leslie Nielsen as the U.S president went up against Saddam in hand to hand combat. Crazy.
Well, today is a sad day for anyone who enjoys true comedy. Nielson died of complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home, surrounded by his wife, Barbaree, and friends. He was 84. As a true fan I just want to thank him for giving us such classics. He might not have invented the spoof genre. But his amazing sense of comedy made the success of the genre a foregone conclusion. So hats off to you, Leslie. I am going to go home today and put in my Naked Gun DVD and laugh my ass off. I can think of no greater tribute to the man who was more seriously funny than anyone I have ever seen. Rest in peace maestro.
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